[handmaiden]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.


That's what we are doing here, Mordeth. Jesus said those words when He was taking on the devil in direct confrontation. Are you saying that Jesus was one of those who didn't "get it right"?


"Every word" from God's mouth means every word. That's a straightforward and narrow reading of the verse, because we don't want to be herded into that wide gate you mentioned.


How is it that you can call yourself a Christian when you expand select verses from the Bible into the broad view that we're supposed to keep our mouths shut and "love" our "brothers" while they disobey the Lord and condemn themselves to hell by rejecting Him?


Forthrightly Yours,
Handmaiden

[Basilissa]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

Here are a few verses on condemnation that shows we are not to condemn others. Romans chapter2 1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?..

Dear, that's the problem with unrighteous judgment. On the other hand, righteous judgment is good.

Or are you trying to say that Jesus is wrong when He says this:

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Also, please note that such righteous judgment is the only way we can shun unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 cited above; see also 2 Timothy 2:21-22).

Like I said earlier I'm not here to judge you, I'm just asking for you to look within. Here are a few other verses on hate.
Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

We don't hate anybody, dear. God does.

Calling one trash is using harsh words.

It's called tough love, dear. We really want more people to be Saved.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

That's before we were Saved, dear. Now we're perfect:

Psalm 119:1 ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
Psalm 119:3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1st John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

When Jesus said he was the Sword and came not to send piece, that is true.

Exactly. (However, the word you were looking for is "peace," not "piece"). Jesus is not some sort of a free-love-for-all hippie. He brings war even within families (Matthew 10:35-36). He wants His enemies to be killed:

Luke 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Romans 4:5 wonderfully proclaims, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Amen and amen! A man's faith is COUNTED for righteousness, because we have no self-righteousness of our own to offer God (Isaiah 64:6). The Bible says here that Jesus justifieth THE UNGODLY, by faith. That is the only type of person that Jesus ever saves, an ungodly person, for to be anything else is self-righteousness.

Correct, God saves us through faith and not through good works. (Although sometimes it is through good works and not faith, Matthew 7:21, and sometimes it is just through His Grace despite faith and works, Romans 9:14-18 - but then again, He is God so He can save or doom people in whichever way He pleases).

[Mordeth]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

Another thing that bothers me is the viewpoint that blacks should remain slaves in servitude. Using Genesis9:25 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, rCursed be Canaan;
sA servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said,
Blessed be tthe Lord God of Shem;
And Canaan shall be ||his servant.


In this passage Noah was cursing Canaan his own grandson to servitude not black people .

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

Another thing that bothers me is the viewpoint that blacks should remain slaves in servitude. Using Genesis9:25 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, rCursed be Canaan;
sA servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said,
Blessed be tthe Lord God of Shem;
And Canaan shall be ||his servant.


In this passage Noah was cursing Canaan his own grandson to servitude not black people .

Wait, so you don't mind that Noah cursed his grandson for something his son did, you don't mind that God had no problem with institutionalized slavery, legislated it for the Jews even, including children (Exodus 21:7-11), but you mind that the curse hasn't been revoked by your personal lifetime? Is that it?

By the way, the children of the slave belong to the Master if the Master introduced the slave to his wife (Exodus 21:4). We can assume that this was the case, otherwise Canaan's children wouldn't have been slaves.

Parenthetically, you might find Pastor Billy-Reuben's sermon helpful: Where did the races come from?

[Elmer G. White]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

I am not judging, just stating what I have read and seen. I have not condemned.

This is wonderful! It is always good that a person lives in the same manner as (s)he teaches! If I may, I will assess this assertion of yours against the background of your other utterances to confirm that you really do not condemn anyone. Let us take this previous post by you as our study material:

You are allowing the devil to direct your church. When Jesus said Matthew7

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

It seems to me that this church is choosing the wide gate.

Please, let me paraphrase. You are basically saying as follows:

• We are being led by Satan.
• Jesus has told us (and you agree) that the broad way leads to destruction.
• In other parts of Matthew we learn that the way to destruction means eternal suffering (Matthew 13:42-50).
• We are on our way (by taking the wide gate) to eternal destruction, i.e., Hell.

To conclude, you're condemning us based on our writings to Hell. This is extremely different from us, who have never condemned anyone, we've just shown the Unsaved that Jesus will condemn them unless they Repent.

Unfortunately your defense ("I am not judging, just stating what I have read and seen. I have not condemned. All I am saying is look within yourself.") is not all you're saying. As evidenced by the analysis above, you are saying that we'll end up in Hell. I accept that as your honest opinion, but I find it harder to accept your claim that your posts contain no judgement whatsoever. Jesus was, as always, able to express this in a more eloquent manner!

Matthew 7:3
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

If we were to take everything we read literally and not search for another meaning or possibility we would have an even uglier world. There are figurative writings in the Bible that are not meant to be taken literally.

Dear Friend,

You have posted here some verses that support your interpretation (more about that later) of the Bible. I am quite saddened that you neglected my previous questions and did not find them worth answering. Of course, Jesus has told me that this persecution will only add to my Glory once in Heaven (Matthew 5:10). I have more questions to you. Maybe they'll induce some thought processes that will shatter your confirmation bias, the phenomenon of only accepting evidence that supports your preconceptions. You know, we should always remember how Jesus felt about private interpretation of the Bible:

2 Peter 1:20
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

How do you choose which parts of the Bible are figurative?
Is the virgin birth (Luke 1:27) figurative? Most academic theologians think that way. They refer to the lack of observations of parthenogenesis in higher mammals as proof. If you feel that the virgin birth is literal but Luke 14:26 is not, you should produce a 100-% reliable method to discern the literal from the figurative. Is the Resurrection (1 Peter 1:3) figurative? Many liberal Churches feel that way. They feel that it is the Spiritual re-birth of a human being into a new mental state that is accepting of all Creation and filled with Happiness.

If you find that many parts of the Bible are figurative, how do you know that choosing the figurative parts is not just wishful thinking from your part? Furthermore, how do you know that by choosing the dismissal of some of the Bible, God would not discard all hope of your Salvation and start treating you with 2 Thessalonians 2:11?

How do you know? How do you choose? Why would your choices be better than our choices (in fact, our choice is that if you start to doubt even one sentence in the Bible, you lose all reliability).

Why are the parts of the Bible that you like literal but the parts you do not like figurative? How do the verses you chose discard the verses that point to the opposite direction? These are only some of the things that Jesus wants you to consider!


Yours in Christ,

Elmer

[Gutter Cleaning]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

Spirituality from the light of God is a daily thing. We our given life as a gift. You have good and you have bad. You have to pray for both. God is in it all. Serenity is knowing that no matter what, God has my back.

[Elmer G. White]

Re: Take a look within yourselves

I took a look within myself...



I saw Jesus!



Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.





Yours in Christ,

Elmer